A predatory paedophile who cruised Bradford’s streets hunting for young girls was today behind bars after he was found guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.

Car salesman Qamar Malik, 28, was also convicted by a jury yesterday of twice attempting to abduct a girl aged 12 in daylight.

When he was 16, Malik sexually assaulted three girls he met by chance in the street, dragging one down a snicket to molest her, the jury was told during the trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Malik, of Parsonage Road, West Bowling, Bradford, was yesterday remanded back into custody to await sentence by Judge Peter Benson who said it was “a very disturbing case” with “a big background”.

He warned Malik to expect a substantial prison sentence when he is brought back to court on January 15.

Judge Benson adjourned the case for the preparation of a report from the probation service that will assess the level of danger Malik poses to members of the public.

The judge told him: “You have a history of assaulting girls who are strangers in the street and I need the probation service to prepare a report to assess the level of risk you present.”

Malik, wearing a blue sports shirt, sat in the dock with his head bowed after the verdicts were delivered.

He was unanimously convicted of twice trying to abduct a 12-year-old girl from central Bradford in July.

The jury found him guilty by 11 to one majority verdicts of kidnapping the six-year-old girl on August 13 this year by unlawfully, and by force or fraud, taking or carrying her away and of sexual activity with the child by touching her chest and waist.

Both the girls were strangers to Malik, the court was told.

Prosecutor Rupert Doswell said Malik stopped his car near the 12-year-old girl, told her she was cute and asked her to sit in the vehicle.

Days later, he followed her in a car, beckoned her over and asked for her phone number.

The girl ran off and sought help from a woman passer-by outside the mosque on Newman Street, Bradford.

Weeks later, he pulled the six-year-old girl into a car, drove her around and molested her.

When Malik was 16, he dragged a 15-year-old girl into a snicket when she was on her paper round and indecently assaulted her.

In a second incident, he jumped on a girl walking to school in Manchester Road, knocked her down and sexually attacked her.

The third offence was on a woman over 16 who was grabbed from behind and groped The jury was told that Malik was warned by the police on August 3 this year that complaints had been made about him stopping his black Ford Focus next to young girls and telling them they were beautiful.